What is a personal trainer?

A personal trainer, also commonly referred as PT, is a certified individual who possesses the knowledge, skills and abilities to design and instruct safe and effective exercise programmes, and deliver one-to-one training.

Personal trainers hold varying degrees of knowledge in fitness and health but the prerequisite to become a qualified personal trainer in the UK is to hold a level 3 certificate in personal training.

Personal trainers help their clients to achieve their health and fitness goals, such as weight loss, fat loss and improved sports performance by prescribing and instructing bespoke training programmes tailored to the individual’s goals.

How much does a personal trainer cost?

The cost for a personal training session varies from PT to PT. As a benchmark, a personal training session usually costs somewhere around £30-£65, and is 45 minutes to one hour long. PT prices in London are usually slightly higher, costing an average of £40-65 per session. This cost is separate to your membership and you would pay your PT directly.

If you wish to find out specific costs, please speak directly to a personal trainer at your gym.

To get in touch with personal trainers at your gym please visit the Personal Trainers tab on the gym page you are a member at.

Benefits of personal training

There are a number of benefits of personal training. These include:

Teaching you the correct form: A personal trainer will be able to teach and guide you on how to perform exercises correctly and safely. If you’re new to the gym, or new to lifting weights, learning how to perform exercises can be particularly beneficial. Having good technique is an important foundation everyone should build to avoid risk of injury, recruit the targeted muscles properly, and to maximise your progress, with or without your trainer.

Hold an objective eye: When working out alone, you can’t always tell if you need to adjust your posture, position, or range of movement. Personal trainers can help you with this by monitoring your form during your training, and correct you if necessary. This will help you to avoid risk of injury and ensure that you are recruiting the target muscles properly and optimising your workout.

Provide you a wealth of knowledge: Personal trainers will have a wealth of knowledge and experience in prescribing and instructing exercise. They will also be able to help you address lifestyle changes you can make to optimise your health. It is in their best interest to help you achieve your fitness goals, and part of their job is to stay up to date with industry trends and training methods which will save you time from doing all the research to achieve fitness success.

Push your limits: Personal trainers are very passionate about health and fitness and they want to help support you in achieving your fitness goals so they will both challenge and motivate you towards your full potential and help you take that one step further that you might not have if you were working out alone.

Hold you accountable: Have there been times when you thought to yourself you’ll go to the gym today but then you give yourself an excuse and you end up not turning up at the gym? Sometimes the toughest battle is getting to the gym. While we all have days when we feel unmotivated to work out but if it’s happening more often than not, having a personal trainer can help hold you accountable. While it’s easy to cancel plans to go to the gym if you’re going on your own, if you’ve made an appointment with your personal trainer, you’re far more likely to go and turn up.

Provide you with a bespoke training programme: Personal trainers will create a tailored training programme to suit your needs, abilities and goals, which a fitness class can’t provide. For example, if you're goal is to lose weight, your personal trainer would be able to programme your exercise to meet your specific needs and your goal. As there is no one size fits all approach when it comes to achieving fitness goals since everyone responds training and nutrition differently, your personal trainer will be able to monitor, adapt and progress your plan based on your needs, enabling you to optimise your training and get results faster.

Group personal training sessions

Some personal trainers at PureGym offer group personal training sessions at a cheaper cost than 1-2-1 training session. We recommend that you speak directly to the personal trainers at your gym to find out if they offer this, and at what cost.

If you prefer working out in a group, you can also join our fitness classes, from Cycle to Pure Abs, which are free for members. We offer over 50 free fitness classes every week at all our gyms so there's plenty of times you can get a workout in that is guided by a personal trainer. For more information our exercise classes, check out our classes section which outlines the benefits, what to expect, and what you should bring to each of our classes.

Finding the right personal trainer for you

There are over 2000 PTs across PureGym so you’re sure to find someone who suits you. If you’d like to get in touch with a PT at our gyms, then they’re more than happy for you to talk to them directly for a chat. You can also find PureGy, personal trainers' profiles on our gym pages. To find this information on our website, go to find your gym, click on the ‘Personal Trainer’s tab, and click the photo of the PT you’d like to contact. You will be asked to log in to see the personal trainer's profile and contact details.

If you’re set on having a personal trainer, it’s worth having an idea of what goal/s you’d like to achieve, and discussing cost and the number of sessions you’d like to schedule per week.

If you are looking to hire a personal trainer here are some things you may wish to consider:

Credentials and specialties: Some personal trainers have qualifications and expertise in particular areas, such as weight loss, sports coaching, nutrition, pre and post-natal exercise etc. You may wish to consider what goals you’d like to achieve and if there is a PT who has the expertise to help you with your goals. To find out our PTs’ specialist areas, you can go to our gym pages, click on the Personal Trainer tab and click on the PTs’ profiles to find out their areas of expertise.

Experience:Some trainers may have experience training specialist or specific population groups (age, physical or medical conditions, sports activity). It's always good to ask the personal trainer about their levels of experience and expertise if you have any concerns or particular goals you'd like to work towards.

Availability:Do you prefer to work out in the morning, afternoon or evening? Or on weeknights or weekends? It’s a good idea to check the personal trainer you are looking to hire is available at times you’re able to train.

Philosophy:Different personal trainers will have different approaches to training, and this is just a matter of opinion. Ask the personal trainer what his/her values are when it comes to health, training, and diet, and find a personal trainer who best suits your needs.

Personality:We all have different preferred learning styles and personalities we get along most with. Do you prefer to be shouted out to help you push yourself or would you prefer someone who is reinforces how well you’re doing with positive encouragement? Would you like to be with someone who is just as serious about training or is your focus to enjoy training? At the end of the day, you’re going to be spending time with your personal trainer, so seek someone who you think you would get along well with.

What to expect at your first PT session

Fitness test: You might find your personal trainer will ask you to perform some exercises and body measurements to evaluate and record your fitness level. Don’t be worried about how well you do in these, just do your best. It’s about understanding your baseline, and a way to keep track of your progress.

What to wear and bring: Just as you would do training alone in the gym, make sure to wear proper attire so you’re geared up for your training session. Wear breathable and lightweight clothing and non-slip supportive trainers. Bring a towel and bottle of water with you, along with anything the personal trainer suggests you to bring. The last thing you want to be is to feel uncomfortable or ill-prepared.

How long does a PT session usually last? A personal training session usually is a 45-minute to an hour session. Speak with your personal trainer to check how long their training sessions are.

Not sure to take up personal training? Try our free fitness classes and get to know the personal trainers.

Personal trainer reviews

Here are some of the things our members who have taken up personal training have said about their personal trainers:

‘My PT has helped me become a much more confident person in just a matter of months. I am doing things that I never thought possible.'

‘I have PT sessions once a week. My PT has really helped me in achieving my goals and keeping me highly motivated. My PT sessions are always challenging (in a good way) and different. I wouldn’t be where I am without his help!'

'Finding the right trainer for me is what has helped me realise what I can achieve. My personal trainer has been with me through the ups and the downs, during the sessions where I felt drained or the ones where I questioned my capabilities, he has no matter what my concerns are, continued to motivate me and challenge me.'

How to be a personal trainer at PureGym

We’re always on the lookout for new PTs.

Not yet qualified? If you’re looking to turn your career into passion and become a personal trainer, please register your interest here. When the next personal trainer courses is available we will be in touch.